Olivier Pla to defend his title

Olivier Pla continues his adventure in endurance racing, a discipline
he discovered in 2008, with the Quifel-ASM Team. For the third
straight year, the Portuguese team will be Oliver’s home. With
teammate Miguel Amaral, the Toulouse native will again drive a
Ginetta-Zytek in the Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Olivier Pla has a very fruitful 2009 season, with two Le Mans Series
victories and three poles in LMP2, leading him to the title. He will
be looking to conserve his crown during the five rounds of the Le
Mans Series, starting April 11 with the 8 Hours of the Castellet, a
month after the official tests on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit.
Olivier is looking forward to this coming season : “We had a very
good year and we hope to continue in this direction. Winning a
championship is never easy, but defending it is even harder! We know
the competition has gotten better, especially with the arrival of the Honda-Acuras. That said, we have some strengths in that we know the Ginetta-Zytek very well now. Our latest tests went well and we will be receiving a few evolutions to the car. We can count on an excellent chassis-engine combination and the Dunlop tyres perform very well. Therefore we are excited to battle against our competition, with one objective: to win!”

Along with his Le Mans Series program, the French driver will be contesting the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third time, a race in which the Quifel-ASM team already has an invitation. After a fourth place in 2008 and a retirement in 2009 after a technical problem, Olivier wants to shine in Le Mans! “Le Mans remains the pinnacle, and with a car that is competitive and reliable, the expectations are high. The team, as well as Miguel and I, would like to reach the podium at this fantastic event. We will aim for victory, even if we know that anything can happen during a twice around the clock race. It’s a mythical race that you have to tackle with humility. But Quifel-ASM has focused on continuity: we are used to working together, the engineers, the mechanics have a perfect knowledge of the Ginetta-Zytek, and we have the experience we gained last year. These are important elements four a race so long and difficult. We hope that this will allow us to make the difference!”

As he works on his physical preparation during the off-season, Olivier looks to the season ahead: “I’m hungry for success. In 2009, we tasted victory on several occasions and I have a desire to find this joy again. I’m happy to have my 2010 program set before the end of this year. This allows me to really prepare my two main objectives. That said I’m still looking to participate in a GT championship in addition to my regular schedule.”